How to Make Beautiful Cocktail Garnishes At Home
From picking the freshest fruits to pickling, pro bartenders weigh in on how to whip up the fanciest touches.
While garnishes are often considered simply a visual supplement, good ones contain multitudes. They can be functional briney onions that lend a savory lean to a Gibson, dashes of nutmeg to add depth to a Painkiller. Or, they can add visual intrigue: a bright red cherry in a brown Manhattan, a perfect lemon swirl in an icy martini. Garnishes can also be fanciful: think lush bouquets of mint, tropical paper umbrellas, and bumps of caviar. The best garnishes, however, nail all of the elements above.
“A garnish needs to enhance the drinking experience,” says Ian Alexander, bar director of New York City’s beloved Irish pub, The Dead Rabbit. “Garnishes should be equally functional as they are visually appealing.”
“A great garnish intensifies or contrasts what is in the glass or provides aromatic stimulation when sipping,” Kevan Ash, general manager of Machete in Greensboro, agrees.
Here’s what you need to know about picking and perfecting cocktail garnishes.
The Garnish: Olives - The Drinks: Martinis, Vermouths, Spanish Fizzes
Ivy Mix, the co-founder of Speed Rack and co-owner of Leyenda and FIASCO! Wine and Spirits, backs Kalamata olives for their earthy taste and purple hue. “It makes a very pretty dirty martini! I like to pair one Kalamata and one Castelvetrano.”
Castelvetranos, a meaty and mildly salty olive from Sicily, are a great gateway olive. “They’re buttery and less salty, with a solid texture,” says Julia Petiprin, owner of Homemakers Bar. Rick Margaritov, co-owner at Present Tense agrees. “The brininess of a Castelvetrano complements the clarity and herbal notes of both gin and vodka-based martinis.”
If you prefer them stuffed, search for a pitted Castelvetrano or Queen olive, and fill it with whipped blue cheese, jalapeno, or piquillo peppers and anchovies.
The Garnish: Twist - The Drinks: Martinis, Cosmopolitans, Negronis
To make the perfect twist, peel a sliver of lemon or orange — avoiding the bitter white interior — and give the colored side of the citrus a squeeze over your drink to express the aromas. Run it around the rim, then wrap the peel around a metal straw to set the corkscrew shape before dropping it in your drink or perching it on the rim. “My advice is to cut the edges of your twists — straight lines look better,” says Levi Brown, beverage director at Blind Barber Los Angeles.
When making wintery or warming cocktails that call for a twist, try puncturing the citrus with clove to add an autumnal depth and round out any sweetness.
The Garnish: Dehydrated FruitThe Drinks: Palomas, Daiquiris
While dehydrated fruit slices are less aromatic and a bit of a pain to make, they are easy to use. They’re shelf stable for up to a year, so keep them in a cupboard for garnishing in a pinch — plus, drying out lemons and oranges is a great way to use up zested fruit.
If you don’t have a dehydrator (understandable!) Nick Farrell, spirits director at Brewery Saint X in New Orleans, recommends DIY dehydrating. Set your oven to warm (“the lowest possible temperature”), line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper, and cook for four to eight hours. Alternatively, you can dehydrate fruit slices in an airfryer by setting it at 175°F and cooking for three hours.
“The worst thing in the world is when a super-thin citrus wheel gets stuck to the paper, so be sure to slice the fruit super-thin (an eighth of an-inch or so) and arrange the slices without overlapping,” Farrell says. “Citrus works best, but you can use apples or pears if you dip them in lemon water to prevent browning.”
The Garnish: Mint Bouquets - The Drinks: Juleps, Mai Tais
There are a few rules to adding a big bouquet of mint to your drink. When muddling, use a light touch — press your muddler (the back of a spoon will do) down and give it a quick twist — no need to pulverize the leaves. When garnishing, give the bunch a quick spank to release the aromas before setting it on your drink.
The Garnish: Cherries - The Drinks: Manhattans, Sour Cherry Negronis
Gone are the days when all cocktail cherries tasted like aspartame and red dye number 40. A new wave of craft and quality options from all-Italian brands (Luxardo, Fabbri, and Starlino) or cocktail-focused brands (St. Agrestis and Filthy) are bright, boozy, tart, and subtly sweet. Petiprin also suggests checking out one of the many garnish brands owned by bartenders, like Dirty Sue, The Cocktail Garnish, Bittered Sling, and Yes Cocktail Co.
The Garnish: Salt and Sugar Rims - The Drinks: Margaritas, Sidecars
“My favorite rims start with salt and sugar. It’s simple, but with a little creativity you can elevate these basic ingredients and add a ton of flavor,” says Andrew Erickson, head bartender at Culaccino in Franklin, Tennessee. Tajin adds subtle spice to a Michelada, bloody mary, or margarita. “Add baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg to sugar — it’s a great addition for Painkillers and coffee drinks. Or, add lime zest and crushed red pepper to flaky salt for an enhanced margarita.”
You can use a simple side plate as a rimmer, though the folks at Leyenda in Brooklyn have a better idea: the bottom plate of a terracotta planter., which sucks the moisture out of the salt, making for better adhesion (no one wants salt running down the side of the glass).
Instead of rimming the entire circumference of the glass, consider rimming just one side. “Always leave a section of glass clean where someone can drink the cocktail without a mouthful of salt,” advises Brown.
The Garnish: Grating Spices - The Drink: Eggnogs, Flips
For fluffy sours, creamy eggnogs, and other frothy, autumnal drinks, a shaving of cinnamon or nutmeg directly on top of the drink can add an oomph of flavor. “I recommend toasting whole spices to bring out the aromatic components when you’re garnishing drinks like eggnog,” says Farrell, who also recommends freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon over the pre-packaged powdered stuff. “It makes all the difference in the world!”
Essential tools for making garnishes at home
Cookie Cutters
“I recommend buying little miniature cookie cutters to cut shapes into your citrus twists,” says Mix. “It really helps when the holiday hits — they’re a really nice touch. You can get everything from snowflakes to penguins!”
Y-Peeler
“I have always loved OXO Good Grips Y Peeler,” says Ash. “It’s super comfortable in your hand and offers an extra sharp blade.”
Stainless Steel Straw
Yes, these are great for sipping from (and far more eco-friendly than their paper equivalents), but you should also keep them around for swirling twists or taking quick sips of drinks before you serve them to friends and family — call it quality control.
Cocktail Dropper
“I love using a dropper bottle full of bitters to create designs on top of egg white cocktails,” says Ash. Add a few drops to top off a drink, then run a toothpick through to create custom designs.
Alternatively, purchase one bitters bottle and one tiny spray bottle, and use the latter for spritzing a martini glass with vermouth or a Sazerac glass with absinthe.
Paring Knife
A good paring knife will gussy up your lemon twists, scoop out seeds from fruit, or notch a citrus swirl with ease. “Make sure it’s nice and sharp — dull knives are dangerous and they make for ugly garnishes,” says Mix.
Tweezer
“I'm a big fan of precision and elegance in all things, so a nice pair of culinary tweezers (along with a set of metal straws) will really keep things utilitarian and classy at your home bar,” says Kevin Denson, beverage director at Fork in Philadelphia. “The key is to keep them clean and dry. That goes for all of your bar equipment — there's nothing worse than coming back to a sticky, crusty, corroded tool when you're in the mood for a quick cocktail.”
Channel Knife
“An invaluable thing I use for at-home cocktails is a channel knife, which makes the perfect zest swirls,” says Jason Kaplan, bar director of New Orleans’ Coquette. “Everyone’s got a vegetable peeler, but if you really want that lemon essence, the channel knife focuses just on the yellow part of the rind so you don’t have the bitter white pith.”
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